Question 1: Sugar substitutes – I like Stevia and want to use it if that is the best choice. If another is better, please let me know. I have tried Erythritol & Xylitol and one or both affected us like a laxative. I have heard that can be the case and I’m not sure if that side effect subsides but Stevia does not have that affect so that is another reason I would like to stay with Stevia. Just wondering your thoughts….. And if you have already addressed this topic, please just point me in the right direction and I will educate myself.
I have one more question. You stress salt in this diet but I was wondering why you don’t recommend salted nuts. Is there a reason? I will just replace the almonds with string cheese if that is the case but I just can’t handle raw unsalted nuts. To me they taste like dirt! But I love salted ones so I was curious if we need the salt can I eat my salted almonds or pistachios? Just trying to figure out where the salt can be utilized. Thanks for all you help! Day 3 and going strong!
Thank you for your reply! I kinda thought that was the case, just wanted to double check. I found a site that may make our lives even easier! You paste the recipe, enter the original recipe serving size, then enter how many servings you need and then convert! Check out this site http://mykitchencalculator.com/recipeconverter.html . Super helpful! Got the groceries, now wish me luck! Eek, I’m so excited. Thanks again so much.
Thanks so much Kelly! Not sure what the Atkins intro is, but I’m sure they have their reasons! Maybe if it’s slower it’s to ease the detox symptoms that cause some people to quit and then figure it’s better to ease into it. Personally I’m about ripping off the bandaid and getting it over with, ya know? So glad you and your husband are on board – keep us posted on your progress!!!

I don’t know how much cheese is ‘too much’ as I’m sure it varies for everyone, but I know that on the Atkins plan they recommend only having 3-4 ounces per day, as cheese does have carbs, anywhere from .4g/oz. (cheddar) to .9g/oz. (parmesan). So, I would just make sure that you’re accurately calculating the carbs and keep your daily total under 20g. Hope that helps!

I would get seriously scientific. I happen to be diabetic and test my blood sugar on a regular basis. I had to keep testing my blood sugar after I started Keto as it is a requirement for me. I was flabbergasted by the numbers that started turning up. It is an additional point of data and can sometimes be very eye-opening. My tester helped me discover certain keto friendly foods that I don’t tolerate. You can pick up a tester at the pharmacy. I can’t say that pricking your finger several times a day is fun but it will give you a good read on how your body is reacting to certain meals and ingredients.
My name is Kevin. My life changed when I realized that healthy living is truly a lifelong journey, mainly won by having a well-balanced diet and enjoying adequate exercise. By experimenting in the kitchen and openly sharing my meals, I learned that healthy eating is hardly boring and that by making a few adjustments, I could design a diet that could help me achieve my personal fitness goals. Our bodies are built in the kitchen and sculpted in the gym.
The keto diet isn’t new, and it’s been around for nearly a century. It was originally developed to treat people with epilepsy. In the 1920s, researchers found that raised levels of ketones in the blood led to fewer epileptic seizures in patients. The keto diet is still used today to treat children with epilepsy who don’t respond well to anti-epileptic drugs.[2]
The first month or two on keto you may experience some strange periods (aka. Shark Week.) Don’t be alarmed. When you lose weight and your body detoxes from sugar and excess carbs, all kinds of hormonal changes (for the better) occur. Initially though, you may experience heavier periods than normal, more extreme PMS symptoms, etc. This is normal, and while it’s inconvenient it shouldn’t last more than a few months at the most.If your weight loss is rapid on keto (let’s hope), you may also lose more hair than normal for a month or two. It can be disconcerting, but it’s not permanent and will stop when your hormones regulate.
Keto recipes that include nachos?! Oh yes. You’ll begin by making the fat head tortilla chips first. Did I mention you’ll use two types of cheese for this step? Delicious. Next, you’ll load them up with a meaty sauce and finish them off with your favorite toppings, like guac, salsa or sour cream. While these make a delicious snack, they’re frankly filling enough to share as a meal.
Take a multivitamin. “Because you are removing grains, the majority of fruit, some vegetables, and a significant amount of dairy from your menu, a multivitamin is good insurance against any micronutrient deficiencies,” says Jadin. Depending on what your individual overall diet looks like, Jadin says you might also need to add a calcium, vitamin D, and potassium supplement.
Love the set of instructions and advice; this will be what I point people at now when they want to know how to start. I avoided most “keto flu” symptoms by getting just 30 minutes a day of gentle exercise. Somewhere deep in “The Art & Science of Low Carb Living” it explains why. The Atkins books don’t mention it because their approach is to position fitness as an entirely optional thing.

Now, Week 1’s shopping list is going to be long. I have to make the assumption you have nothing in your house. Many of the items are common items that most people will have already. These are all staples in my everyday cooking for keto, and should be considered an investment for your health. Once you have all of the items from week 1, there won’t be too much else to buy.

The popular low-carb diets (such as Atkins or Paleo) modify a true keto diet. But they come with the same risks if you overdo it on fats and proteins and lay off the carbs. So why do people follow the diets? "They're everywhere, and people hear anecdotally that they work," McManus says. Theories about short-term low-carb diet success include lower appetite because fat burns slower than carbs. "But again, we don't know about the long term," she says. "And eating a restrictive diet, no matter what the plan, is difficult to sustain. Once you resume a normal diet, the weight will likely return."
Yes your are totally right, I meant to take off 500 calories a day to lose 1 pound a week (7 days/week x 500 calories/day = 3500 calories/week = 1 pound of fat/week) or take off 1000 calories to lose 2 pounds a week (7 days/week x 1000 calories/day = 7000 calories/week = 2 pounds of fat/week). Thanks to you, I fixed this little typo 🙂 Thanks a lot!

The keto diet (also known as ketogenic diet, low carb diet and LCHF diet) is a low carbohydrate, high fat diet. Maintaining this diet is a great tool for weight loss. More importantly though, according to an increasing number of studies, it helps reduce risk factors for diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s, epilepsy, and more1-6.On the keto diet, your body enters a metabolic state called ketosis. While in ketosis your body is using ketone bodies for energy instead of glucose. Ketone bodies are derived from fat and are a much more stable, steady source of energy than glucose, which is derived from carbohydrates.

Started the kickstart yesterday and stuck to it all day. Was so easy and the dishes were good! I did bacon and eggs, tuna with Romaine, buffalo chicken…even made the mousse! I dont want to use bottled dressings so I made this one…. the BEST! https://lowcarbyum.com/creamy-blue-cheese-dressing/ I already hit ketosis this morning! I have been trying to cut down on carbs for the last month or more so maybe that’s why I hit it so quickly. Im excited to stick with this! Thank you for the recipes and the humor!

Hi Valerie, I was the same way with coffee until I figured a way to wean mysel off of it by slowly adding decaf to my regular coffee. each day I would add more decaf and less regular coffee until eventually I would have a cup of decaf. it tastes the same but the caffeine effect is different Im not sure with soda though, but at least now you can try the half and half with regular soda and diet sodas in a cup. It may taste too sweet at first but you have to allow yourself to get used to it and gradually decrease the regular soda in the cup and add more diet soda. You can also lower your intake of it as well. These days they also have caffeine free soda as well so you have some weaning options instead of cold turkey. Your soda mixture will have just enough caffeine in it to prevent a migraine, but allow you to consume less caffeine eventually until you might try adding some water to your soda to wean yourself completely off of it. It’s worth a try.
A: The amount of weight you lose is entirely dependent on you. Obviously adding exercise to your regimen will speed up your weight loss. Cutting out things that are common “stall” causes is also a good thing. Artificial sweeteners, dairy, wheat products and by-products (wheat gluten, wheat flours, and anything with an identifiable wheat product in it).
You’ll just have to search for some recipes that are low carb and dairy free! Week 5 of my keto menu plans is mostly dairy free and easily made completely dairy free. I have also started a pinterest board where I’m collecting low carb recipes that are also dairy free and I’ll be working on adding more recipes to that. You might also try searching for Paleo recipes, many of them are dairy free and can easily be made low carb as well! Hope that helps!
This is where we have to depart! Sorry to say but you’re on your own. You should have plenty of leftovers that are frozen, ready, and waiting! I know a lot of you out there have trouble with timing and are busy people – so making sure that some nights you make extras to freeze is important. All those leftovers you have in the freezer? Use them up! Create your own meal plan, at first using this as a guide, and then completely doing it yourself. Once you get the hang of it, it’ll be a sinch – I promise you 🙂
Keep up electrolytes. The major electrolytes in our bodies are sodium, potassium and magnesium. Because a low carb diet (especially a keto diet!) reduces the amount of water you store, this can flush out electrolytes and make you feel sick (called “keto flu”). This is temporary, but you can avoid or eliminate it by salting your food liberally, drinking broth (especially bone broth), and eating pickled vegetables. Some people also choose to take supplements for electrolytes, but it’s best to first consult a doctor that understands and supports keto/low carb lifestyles.
Keep eating low carb to continue losing weight, feeling good and becoming healthier!Try making any of our hundreds of recipes available on the site. We make sure each and every recipe is delicious, nutritious and will keep you under your daily carb limit, even if you go for seconds. In addition, we provide step-by-step instructions to make the process as easy as possible. If you ever run into any issues or have any questions, be sure to leave a comment or contact us directly! We’re always happy to help.
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What's more, it's especially important to make sure your diet is well-planned when you're eating keto-style, because the foods you can choose from are limited. In addition to checking in with a dietitian if you're able, Stefanski recommends that you "talk to your doctor and make sure she or he is aware that you'll be starting a diet that completely changes how your body metabolizes energy." You might also want to check your most recent bloodwork levels for things such as cholesterol, vitamin D, and other indicators of health because these can change while on keto. That's because for some people, a prolonged keto diet can result in certain nutritional deficiencies or even high cholesterol. But most experts will tell you that the ketogenic diet is not a permanent lifestyle change (as could be the case for something like the 80/20 approach to eating or a Mediterranean eating style).
Wondering what fits into a keto diet — and what doesn’t? “It’s so important to know what foods you’ll be eating before you start, and how to incorporate more fats into your diet,” says Kristen Mancinelli, RD, author of The Ketogenic Diet: A Scientifically Proven Approach to Fast, Healthy Weight Loss, who is based in New York City. We asked her for some guidelines.